Sensor apparatus and rolling bearing apparatus with sensor

Abstract

A sensor apparatus (2) includes an acceleration sensor (11) provided in a vehicle body side raceway member (3) and detecting a lateral G, and a processing means (31) for computing a load by using an output of the acceleration sensor (11). The processing means (31) determines a lateral load Fy, a vertical load Fz, and a moment Mx caused by the lateral load on the basis of an output G of the acceleration sensor (11) in accordance with the following expression: Fy=Mx÷a, Fz=b×G+c, and Mx=d×G2+e×G+f, where a, b, c, d, e, and f respectively denote constants unique to a load detection target that is provided with the sensor apparatus.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a sensor apparatus for determining a load applied to a rolling bearing apparatus or the like, and to a rolling bearing apparatus obtained by integrating a rolling bearing apparatus as a constituting element of a motor vehicle and a sensor apparatus that detect various information thereof. [0002] In the motor vehicle, in order to execute a control for improving a stability thereof, there is employed a vehicle control system provided with a hub unit with a plurality of sensors (a rolling bearing apparatus with sensors) to which a sensor apparatus detecting various information of the vehicle is attached, and a control apparatus controlling the vehicle on the basis of the information of the sensor apparatus. [0003] For example, in patent document 1 (International Publication WO04 / 018273), as shown in FIG. 5, there is disclosed a vehicle control system 51 provided with an electronic control unit (ECU) 52 executing a corn...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a load detecting sensor apparatus which can be easily assembled and can reduce a man hour, that is, a cost, and a rolling bearing apparatus with a sensor having the sensor apparatus.

[0021] The acceleration sensor provided in the motor vehicle is installed, for example, in a console box within a passenger room. In this case, since a transmission from a road surface is executed via a suspension, a time delay (about some tens millisecond) is generated, and a precision is deteriorated. On the contrary, in the case that the acceleration sensor is embedded in the rolling bearing apparatus (which may be called as “hub unit”)., it is possible to directly measure an acceleration of an axle applied from the road surface (without being through the suspension), and it is possible to improve a detecting precision. Further, it is possible to reduce a number of parts by being embedded.

[0023] In accordance with the sensor apparatus of the present invention, since it is possible to obtain the load applied to the rolling bearing apparatus or the like only on the basis of the measurement by the accelerator sensor and the conversion expression, it is easy to assemble the sensor apparatus, and it is possible to reduce a man hour, that is, a cost, in comparison with the structure using the displacement sensor or the pressure sensor. Further, in the case that the subject in which the load is detected corresponds to the constituting element of the vehicle such as the hub unit, it is possible to omit the load measuring sensor provided in the hub unit, by determining the hub unit load by using the acceleration sensor provided in the vehicle.

[0024] In accordance with the rolling bearing apparatus with the sensor of the present invention, since it is possible to obtain the load applied to the rolling bearing apparatus only on the basis of the measurement by the acceleration sensor and the conversion expression, it is easy to assemble the sensor apparatus, and it is possible to reduce a man hour, that is, a cost, in comparison with the structure using the displacement sensor or the pressure sensor. Further, in the case that the rolling bearing apparatus corresponds to the constituting element of the vehicle such as the hub unit, it is possible to omit the acceleration sensor provided in the vehicle, by determining the acceleration applied to the vehicle in addition to the load applied to the rolling bearing apparatus by using the acceleration sensor provided in the rolling bearing apparatus.

Problems solved by technology

Accordingly, in both of them, there is a problem that a lot of labor hour is necessary for assembling.

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